In case you missed it: A few of last week’s must-reads

In case you missed it on Friday, the Inquirer ran a powerful op-ed from four public charter and waitlist parents urgently calling on city and state leaders to give more families access to schools that are working. They write:“Year after year, tens of thousands of Philadelphia families are forced to send their kids to schools that are, by any measure, failing students. And year after year, families in our communities are told to just wait for the next ‘fix’ that will – no kidding, this time for real – make these schools great. Wait until we have funding. Wait until we fix this law or that law. Wait until we have a new plan. We are tired of waiting.”Read more on Philly.com.We agree and that’s why we are excited that last week the SRC voted to open another new charter school run by a high-quality operator, KIPP Philadelphia.But that only scratches the surface. Far too many children in Philadelphia lack great educational opportunities, and we stand behind families that refuse to accept the status quo. In the coming months, we hope to announce new grants to create and expand high-quality schools, and we will continue to advocate for leaders to give more families access to great schools of all types.As always, please contact us to get involved in this effort.P.S. – Don’t miss this piece in the Patriot-News outlining the case for an Achievement School District in Pennsylvania.